One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

Method

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wide casserole or big frying pan and fry the chicken for a few mins to brown. Tip out onto a plate. Add the onion to the pan with 1 tbsp more oil and fry for 5 mins until almost softened. Add the celery and fry for another 2 mins, then tip out to join the chicken. Add the remaining oil, bay leaves and flour to the pan and cook into a paste. Carry on cooking, stirring constantly (with a splash of water if you need), until golden brown, then stir in the spices for 2 mins.

Gradually stir in the stock until smooth and saucy. Return the chicken and veg to the pan, along with the peppers, cover and simmer gently for 15 mins. Stir in the ham, cover and simmer gently for 10 mins more. Check for seasoning, then serve, sprinkled with the spring onions mixed with the chopped parsley.

As shocked as I was to see a James Martin recipe with neither cream nor butter, I thought I'd give it a try. Really easy recipe that makes a very tasty supper. Just one tip that I found made it easier, cook the chicken first, remove, then the onion and celery, then put the chicken and remaining oil back in. Then I added the spices, cooked off for a couple of minutes, then the flour and about 250ml of the stock (I've always been taught to make stew this way and it always works). I continued adding the stock and found that I needed probably another 400-500ml of water to get to good consistency. After that, added the peppers and cooked for 15-20 minutes. Seemed to work perfectly and I shall definitely be cooking this again.

Made this last night, had a bit of trouble with the sauce, 5 tablespoons of flour with such a small amount of oil didn't work, I ended up using a lot more than a splash of water (200mls out the jug of stock in the end then topped the stock up to 600ml again) to get it to a paste. Once I got the consistency right, it was straightforward, and went down well with most of the family, 3 year old tucked into it, but 7 year old wouldn't even taste it (typical!) so didn't know if he liked it or not, hubby and I each gave it 9 out of 10. I didn't have Cajun spice mix, so made my own, the basil in it gave it a lovely twist. Served it with rice. Would definitely do it again!

I made it yesterday and it was ok but it wasn't a great success. First of all i got the lumps but fortunately I got rid of them with blender. Better to cover chicken chunks with flour and fry it like this so it doesn't happen. However the receipe doesn't say it and I don't like it when you can't trust it 100%. The taste itself was pretty plain and boring like it was missing something. I ate it with white rice and later with pasta, it was ok but I didn't love it and I was thinking I am not cooking this again. Today I warmed it up for my boyfriend, added some slices of processed cheddar, much more Cajun to make it very spicy and sprinkled it with mature cheddar next to white rice. I must say it tasted very good when I tried it and my bf liked it too. Overall, I think the basis for this dish is good but its definitely missing some flavor and you probably gonna have to figure out what it is.

Found this recipe as I was curious as to what 'gumbo' was. My OH and I love it and have it probably once a week. I only add 1 spoon of spice as I find it a bit to hot. We have it with noodles don't think that's how your supposed to but we like it

It's been my first time cooking something "so different" (Louisiana-style) and got lovely compliments from husband and dinner guests. I did not have the ready-made spices so had to buy them individually. I added one tbsp each but thought it was a wee bit too spicy (I must say I do not have a very high tolerance level for hot food, ) so I'll probably add only half a tbsp of chilli next time I make it. Overall, I'm very pleased with the result and shall try to cook it again.

We really enjoyed this recipe. I confess I 'played with it a bit' as I wanted to use up what we had, so i used yellow peppers (not green), red onions and shallots (not white onion), double the spices based on other people's recommendations, and through in some extra smoked paprika. It had a lovely kick to it :)

Fantastic recipe. I doubled the veg, and doubled the spices, added several carrots, and served it with leftover pasta I had taken from the freezer to make it go further( 2 adults and 3 teenagers). Everyone enjoyed and will definitely make it again.

Always wanted to try making Gumbo, this is an excellent recipe and easy to follow. I did add a little too much cajun spice by accident however i like my food spicy so it made it extra tasty! Potted the rest up for the freezer :)

Pages

Questions (0)

Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved…

Be the first to ask a question about this recipe…

Tips (3)

mandnlee7th Feb, 2015

5

If the lumps in the sauce are too small to get rid of, you can always use a handheld blender, just make sure you keep adding stock as the flour will still be cooking out.

2 stock cubes are WAY too much. I followed the recipe and used two - it tasted of stock cube and not much else. It's a good recipe, so I'd still recommend it, but I'd say use 1 stock cube and then add a second one if needed at the end.

Reader offer: £40 off delicious meals

Reader offer: £10 off + 2 free craft beers

Skills & know how

As well as helping you decide what to cook we can also help you to cook it. From tips on cookery techniques to facts and information about health and nutrition, we’ve a wealth of foodie know how for you to explore.

About BBC Good Food

We’re all about good recipes, and about quality home cooking that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re looking for some healthy inspiration or learning how to cook a decadent dessert, we’ve trustworthy guidance for all your foodie needs.

Our recipes

All our recipes are tested thoroughly by us to make sure they’re suitable for your kitchen at home. We know many of you are concerned about healthy eating, so we send them to a qualified nutritionist for thorough analysis too.

Follow us

This website is made by BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). No money from the licence fee was used to create this page. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes.